CN113163989A

CN113163989A - Appliance for processing food

Info

Publication number: CN113163989A
Application number: CN201980079399.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吉安·卢卡·西尔维斯特里尼; 杜伊-方·于; 马库斯·昂格雷尔; 奥尔加·斯托珀; 米尔贾·德卢卡
Original assignee: Delongee Braun Home Co ltd
Current assignee: Delongee Braun Home Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-28
Filing date: 2019-07-10
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-07-10
Also published as: DE102018220446A1; DE102018220446B4; JP2022509230A; EP3886662A1; US20220022694A1; CN113163989B; JP7256270B2; WO2020108807A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an appliance for processing food, comprising: a container having a wall defining a chamber in which a food product to be processed can be received; and a working member located in the chamber and drivable to process the food product, the chamber defined by the walls having at least in part the form of a substantially spherical segment, and said spherical segment form surrounding the working member.

Description

Appliance for processing food

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an appliance for processing food.

Background

For example, appliances such as blenders for processing food in the home are known in the art. In the case of such blenders, the container is typically mounted on a base that contains a motor. The motor may drive a working member (e.g. in the form of a rotatable blade) arranged in the container. The blades interact with and process the food items in the container.

A typical container is in the form of a jug, wherein the diameter in a section parallel to the horizontal is significantly smaller than the total length of the container along the axis of rotation of the working member, in other words the container is elongated. The cross-sectional shape may be, for example, circular, triangular, rectangular or square, and may also vary from one shape to another along the height of the container. The ribs are usually arranged inside the container, extending from the bottom to the maximum filling height for most of the ribs. These ribs serve to improve the flow and circulation of the food product within the container. An example of such a container is shown in GB 1388119 a.

The working member or blade is arranged at the bottom of the container. For example, the container may be made of various materials, such as plastic or glass, which may be injection molded or blow molded. At the top of the container is a lid that may have a removable cover in the middle to facilitate the addition of fluids or other ingredients during processing. Such containers typically have a mouth at the top to facilitate serving of the food product that is easy to produce and does not spill.

The blender can also be used to make soybean milk or fruit juice. For this purpose, use is typically made of an additional cylindrical filter which surrounds the blade or the working part and is fixed by means of a cover.

Disclosure of Invention

The inventors have noted that prior art blenders have disadvantages. For example, typical blenders with a fill volume of about 2l are relatively high and therefore it is difficult to use and store these blenders vertically in the cabinet of a kitchen or under a kitchen wall unit. The ratio of height to maximum fill volume is inefficient. In addition, the inventors have realized that since the height of the blender related to the maximum filling capacity is relatively high, it takes a long time to process all the food product, which may then also result in the food product being heated via friction and losing the nutritional value of the food product. Due to the small cross-section compared to the height, it takes a long time for all the food to pass through the work piece frequently enough to achieve a satisfactory result. The food is sometimes heated significantly as a result of movement in the processed food and friction caused by mechanical parts of the blender.

The inventors have also noted that there is often a very uneven result when crushing ice. This is due to the fact that: the working member generally extends over the entire bottom surface of the container, and therefore the ice that has been crushed repeatedly comes into contact with the working member, and is thereby crushed too much, and is additionally heated and thus melted. However, some larger pieces of ice are not contacted, or are contacted only to a limited extent, by the working element and are therefore not crushed, since the pieces of ice which are usually already crushed stay in the lower region of the container in which the working element is located, and therefore the larger pieces of ice no longer contact the working element. Accordingly, there is an inconsistent result when crushing ice, where relatively large pieces of ice float in the ice water, which pieces are then not touched by the blades, or are touched only to a limited extent.

The inventors have noticed another disadvantage when making soymilk. When making soymilk, the soaked soybeans are placed in a typically cylindrical filter, which is inserted into a container and around the working parts. CN201022626Y, for example, illustrates such an arrangement. The soybeans are crushed inside the filter. The emulsion is then discharged through the filter as a result of the movement of the working member and is collected in the intermediate space between the outer wall of the filter and the inner wall of the surrounding container. However, for typical relatively "slim" containers, there is only a small amount of space outside the filter for receiving the produced soymilk. Therefore, the filling capacity is relatively small.

The present invention has been made to avoid the above disadvantages. The invention is defined by claim 1.

An appliance for processing food products, according to claim 1, comprises a container. The container is defined by walls which in turn define a chamber into which the food to be processed can be received. In other words, the container constitutes an assembly in which the food to be processed is processed. The appliance according to the invention can be in particular a blender. However, it is also conceivable in principle for the appliance to be a grinding mill (for example a coffee grinder) or a food processor. Other applications are also conceivable.

The working member is disposed inside the chamber. Typically, the working member may be a rotatably mounted blade which is rotatable in the receptacle, thereby processing the food product located in said receptacle.

According to the invention, the chamber defined by the walls has at least partially the form of a substantially spherical segment (spherical segment). Spherical form is understood here to mean that the wall is at a constant distance or radius from the center located inside the sphere. In fact, the form is merely a "substantially" spherical segment or spherical form should be understood such that the protrusion may optionally be provided on an inner wall extending into the interior (or even a protrusion extending from the interior space) as long as the overall shape of the interior is still recognizable as a spherical segment or sphere. The fact that the chamber is in the form of a spherical segment is to be understood such that the chamber need not be a complete sphere (but could be a complete sphere). A spherical segment is here understood to be a segment of a sphere obtained via one or more straight cuts along one plane in the complete sphere, thus removing parts of the sphere while preserving parts of the surface of the sphere. In this case, the term "sphere" is to be understood as meaning a sphere in the mathematical sense, i.e. a geometric object whose boundaries are at a constant distance from the center. However, as mentioned above, slight deviations from the ideal spherical form are possible.

The inventors have realized that such substantially spherical containers are very efficient in terms of space usage: having the same filling capacity and the same size spheres at the bottom of the container and the working parts located in the container, have a height which is smaller than the elongated container as described above. A sphere is the object with the best ratio of maximum size to volume. Thus, the overall height of an appliance for processing food can be reduced with such a container. A cylinder externally surrounding the sphere with the same diameter will even have a smaller height providing the same volume, but this will require enlarging the working member according to the larger diameter of the container bottom in order to process the food product efficiently with a minimum of dead space between the working member and the container wall. Thus, the claimed design reduces the amount of space required during storage and use on a work surface or under a closet.

Furthermore, when producing food products such as sauces or smoothies, the substantially spherical container allows better circulation than having a cylindrical or conical form. One of the reasons for better circulation is that due to the spherical form, the average distance of the food to be processed to the blade is smaller and therefore faster circulation can be produced. Due to the better circulation, the duration of the processing is reduced and it is also possible to prevent the food to be processed from unnecessarily overheating due to friction, which is undesirable for cold drinks such as smoothies, milkshakes and cocktails and may also lead to the nutrients being depleted. Thus, the food products processed with such appliances are of higher quality. Furthermore, when making soymilk using a cylindrical filter as described above, the spherical design creates additional volume for the soymilk pushed out through the filter. Thus, the potential filling capacity for soymilk can be increased.

The above advantages also arise, although to a lesser extent possible, when only the lid of the container is in the form of a spherical segment and the bottom part is of any shape. In this case, the shape of the lid will lead to an improved circulation of the food product to be processed, with correspondingly high filling levels.

Preferably, the form of the spherical section surrounds the working member in all three dimensions.

The feature that the form of the spherical section surrounds the working member is to be understood as such that the working member moves in the chamber defined by the spherical section. This means that the food product processed by the working member is processed inside the chamber which is a spherical segment. Typically, the working member and thus also the spherical section is located on the bottom side of the appliance (i.e. the side of the appliance at the bottom when the appliance is used as intended). Such a spherical section on the bottom side of the appliance can be cut at the bottom, i.e. it can be flat, which means that the spherical section is produced in particular by a sphere which is cut parallel to the bottom side by a plane. Alternatively, however, the surface closing the spherical section at the bottom may also have a shape other than a spherical shape.

The results obtained when crushing ice are better, since the already crushed ice can collect in the projections created by the spherical form radially outside the working member and does not come into contact again with the working member and start to melt (due to too much contact with the working member). This also allows the ice that has not yet been crushed to better contact the working parts and be more crushed. This results in improved homogeneity of the crushed ice pieces and thus in higher processing capacity.

In particular, it is contemplated here that the working member is arranged rotatably and that the radius of the working member with respect to the axis of rotation is less than 50% of the radius of the spherical segment.

Preferably, the spherical section comprises a section of a sphere that is larger than the hemisphere. Preferably, the spherical section comprises more than 70% of the total surface area of the sphere, and more preferably, the spherical section is a sphere. This ensures that the advantageous effect of using spherical segments occurs over most or all of the container, which results in the advantages described above being achieved to a large extent.

Preferably, the container has a first section (segment) and a second section, which are detachably connected to each other and together define a spherical section. In this case, the first section surrounds the working part and the second section may be arranged on the first section (i.e. the second section is located above the first section). Due to the detachable arrangement of the first and second sections, the container is easy to clean and the appliance can be stored in a more space-saving manner, since the height can be reduced by removing the second section from the first section.

In this connection, it is particularly preferred that the first section and the second section together define a sphere as the spherical section. The second section has an opening through which the component to be processed can be introduced into the chamber even when the appliance is in operation. Other food products may also be introduced in this manner. Due to the presence of the opening, the processing of the food product is facilitated, since the food product can subsequently be introduced into the chamber.

In addition, a third section is preferably provided, which is detachably arranged on the second section. The second section is annular and the second section and the third section together define a hemisphere, wherein the first section also substantially defines the hemisphere. However, in this regard, it is particularly preferred that the first section comprises more than one hemisphere and that there is a small lid at the top with a filling opening closing the opening, as in a standard blender. The third section preferably has an opening through which the component to be processed can be introduced into the chamber. In this way, in particular due to the presence of the third section, which is detachable from the second section, a larger opening can be formed than in the above-described alternative, through which additional food product can be introduced into the chamber.

Preferably, the second section may be arranged within the first section. This design allows the appliance to be stored in a space-saving manner.

Preferably, the first and second sections may be secured together by means of a bayonet connection (bayonet catch). Such a bayonet connection is easy to implement and can be released easily without tools. However, other possible closing means are possible, in particular snap-fit connections (snap-fit connections), toggle levers or threads.

In addition, the utensil preferably has a spout (spout) on the container for pouring out the processed food. Such a mouthpiece facilitates the serving of processed food.

Furthermore, the appliance preferably has a base on which the container is arranged, wherein the container is preferably detachable from the base. For example, if the container is detachable from the base, the container may be used to supply processed food.

Preferably, the base also has an electric drive for driving the working member.

Preferably, the container has a handle which is optionally detachable from the container. Such a handle allows easier movement of the container. If the handle is detachable, the handle may also be removed to improve visual appearance. The chamber can also be reduced, which is necessary for storing the container.

Further, preferably, ribs are provided on the interior of the container. These improve the processing of food products by improving their circulation.

If the appliance has a mouth, it is conceivable that the mouth extends from one of the ribs. Coupling the mouth to the ribs guides the food product to be processed in the correct direction, thereby facilitating the pouring process.

Further, preferably, the implement has one or more internal projections. These internal projections are provided in the space between the two ribs and extend into the interior of the container. Preferably, these internal projections are provided between all ribs. Such an internal projection is a protrusion extending into the interior of the container. The inner protrusion is wider than the rib, i.e. the inner protrusion extends in the circumferential direction for a longer length than the rib. Furthermore, the inner protrusion also protrudes less than the rib. In other words, the inner protrusion is designed to be flatter than the rib, i.e. at the transition to the inner wall of the container, the angle of inclination of the inner protrusion is smaller than the corresponding angle of inclination of the rib and steadily decreases moving towards the center of the inner protrusion.

The provision of these internal projections prevents the formation of dead zones or recesses of the type formed between the ribs, in which hard food products to be processed and large food products may become stuck. If this happens, there is a risk that the blade, or more generally the working member, rotates freely without the food being moved back to the working member and processed. The provision of the inner protrusion prevents food from being able to collect there. This in turn results in the container working properly even for hard food, which would not be the case without these internal projections. The inner lobes partially fill the dead space between the ribs and provide more power to the transport of the food product to be processed and also speed up the process. This then results in the material to be processed not accumulating at this time, but being guided back to the working part or blade, without the flow being significantly diverted in the process and without the processing behavior of the container being completely altered, as is the case with conventional ribs which project more and more steeply. The introduction of additional ribs instead of internal bulges also only causes more dead space and thus makes the processing of hard food worse.

Preferably, the internal protrusion has an inclination of less than or equal to 30 ° with respect to the wall of the container. This means that the inclination of the tangent plane of the internal projection at the transition to the wall with respect to the tangent plane of the wall itself at this transition is less than or equal to 30 °. In this way, a relatively flat inclination of the inner projection relative to the container wall is defined, so that the flow is deflected only slightly, which is advantageous for the processing behavior.

Preferably, the inner protrusions fill at least 30%, preferably at least 45% of the area between the ribs. This ensures that the inner protrusion is large enough that it has a significant effect on the processing behaviour of the appliance.

Further, preferably, the length of the inner protrusion in the circumferential direction of the container is at least 60% of the distance between the ribs in the circumferential direction. This also ensures that the internal projections are large enough that they have a significant impact on food processing.

Preferably, the length of the inner protrusion in the circumferential direction of the container is at least 60% of the distance between the ribs in the circumferential direction. This also ensures that the inner protrusion is large enough to cause significant processing of the food product and has a significant effect on the processing behaviour of the appliance.

Preferably, at the widest point of the inner protrusion, the ratio of the width b of the inner protrusion to the length L is greater than or equal to 0.8, and at the widest point of the rib, the ratio of the width b of the rib to the length L is less than or equal to 0.4. This also defines a different shape for the width of the ribs and the inner protrusions.

Further, it is preferable that a ratio of the depth t to the width b is less than or equal to 0.1 at the deepest point of the inner protrusion, and the ratio of the depth t to the width b is greater than or equal to 0.5 at the deepest point of the rib. This means that the ribs extend further inwards, while the inner protrusion is relatively flat. These features therefore enhance the fact that the food product is directed inwardly by the inner protrusion.

Further, preferably, the side walls of the appliance are flat or planar. This facilitates storage of the appliance, since the appliance can be placed directly against a flat wall, for example in a kitchen cabinet. Furthermore, in addition to the ribs, the shape change that occurs in the transition from the spherical form to the flat form also affects and optimizes the circulation of the food product to be processed inside the container.

Drawings

Fig. 1 schematically shows a cross section through an appliance according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a cross section through an appliance according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a cross section through an appliance according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a cross section through an integrated appliance according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a bottom portion of an appliance according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 a) and b) show an appliance according to a fourth embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a view of the bottom part of an appliance according to a fifth embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the appliance according to the first embodiment compared to fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is another cross-sectional view of an appliance according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of an appliance according to a fifth embodiment.

Fig. 11 and 12 schematically show an internal projection of an appliance according to a fifth embodiment.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 5 schematically show an appliance 100 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The base 114 supports on its upper side a first section 116 in the form of a hemisphere, the bottom side of which is cut off as a plane. Inside said first section 116 is a working member 112, which is schematically shown and which may be driven by a motor (not shown) inside the base 114.

The second section 118 is arranged on the first section 116 and may be locked to the first section 116 by a bayonet connection or other closure means. A lid 120 is provided on the second section 118 and closes the appliance. The first segment 116 defines a severed hemisphere. This means that the severed sphere formed by the cover 120, the second segment 180 and the first segment 116 is divided along the central plane of the original sphere. The

separate sections

116, 118 and the cap 120 may be made of different materials, and it is also possible that, for example, the cap 120 and/or the second section 118 have a different form than the first section 116 (i.e. for example they may have a spherical form with different radii, or they may have an elliptical shape). For the above reasons, it is preferable that the outer shape of the container 110 is a sphere. The fluid may fill to a fill level inside the second section 118. On the inside of the first section 116 there are provided ribs 111 (four in the present case) extending to the upper edge of the first section 116. However, more or less than four ribs are also contemplated.

As can be seen from fig. 5, the working member 112 in the form of a rotatable blade is located on a flat bottom side of the first section 116. Four ribs 111 can also be seen, which are located at four points offset by 90 ° with respect to the axis of rotation of the working member 112.

Fig. 4 shows the first embodiment of the invention in a disassembled state. Here, the second section 118 is arranged inside the first section 116 and above the working part 112. The third section 120 is arranged inside the second section 118. In the state shown, the appliance can be stored in a space-saving manner.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, a first section 216 is provided on the base 214, which section extends significantly more upwardly than the comparable first section 116 of the first embodiment. The first section 216 also surrounds the working member 212 and is closed at the upper end by the second section 218. The second section 218 serves as a cover and has an opening at its upper end closed by a separate closure 220. Through which a fluid or other component can be fed in the case of operation of the appliance. Even though the ribs are not shown here, they may still be present and may for example be configured in the manner shown with respect to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the ribs may extend to the upper end of the first section 216, but they may also terminate deeper.

Fig. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The appliance 300 according to the third embodiment also has a base 314 supporting the first section 310. The first section 310 surrounds the working member, which in this case is not shown. At the upper end of the first section 310, a non-spherical second section 322 is provided, which non-spherical second section 322 has a mouth 324 through which the processed food product can be poured. The first section 310 and the second section 322 form a container 313. A lid 326 is provided at the upper end of 322 herein, which closes the container and prevents the food to be processed from pouring out. Such a lid 326 also has holes through which pressure equalization can be performed, but which prevent, or at least make difficult, fluid ejection compared to an open lid. Additional ingredients can be added during operation through such holes. The aperture may be closed by a closure 327. The second section 322 may be fixedly connected to the first section 310, or the second section 322 may also be detachable.

The appliance according to the first, third and fourth embodiments described above has ribs in its interior, and in particular on all sections defining such an interior space. It is possible that the design and arrangement of the ribs is adapted to the respective dish to be prepared. For example, to prepare a viscous or pasty product (such as peanut butter), it may be advantageous to use a different rib arrangement than that used to make smoothies or crush ice.

It is also possible to use different working parts. For example, rotating blades may be used. However, it is also conceivable to use a whisk for making whipped cream, or to use a blunt knife for crushing ice. In particular, the latter has the advantage that the knife does not lose its sharpness over time and therefore has a longer service life.

Fig. 7 is a view of the bottom portion 516 of an appliance according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. Here, the bottom portion 516 includes a rib 511 and an inner protrusion 531. The inner protrusions 531 are provided between the ribs 511 in the circumferential direction. Fig. 8 shows a cross section through the bottom part 116 of the appliance according to the first embodiment of the invention, as is particularly clear when compared to fig. 8. Here, no internal projections are provided in the recesses 530 in the bottom portion 116 between the ribs 111. Thus, in the appliance according to the first embodiment, food items may be retained in this recess 530, which is prevented by the inner protrusion 531.

These differences are also clearly seen in fig. 9 and 10. Here, the bottom part 516 according to the fifth embodiment is shown in a plan view (fig. 10) and a side sectional view (fig. 9). This clearly shows that the protrusions 531 are significantly flatter and less steep than the ribs 511. This results in the food to be processed being directed out of the recess without significantly disrupting the flow.

In fig. 11 and 12, the dimensions of the ribs 511 and the inner protrusions 531 are more clearly seen. It can be seen that the inner protrusion 531 has a length L in the axial direction that is shorter than the length L of the rib 511. However, the ribs have a significant depth t greater than the depth of the inner protrusions 531. In addition, the width b of the inner protrusion 531 in the circumferential direction of the bottom portion is greater than the width of the rib 511.

Claims

1. An appliance (100, 200, 300, 400) for processing food, the appliance comprising:

a container (110, 210, 313) having walls defining a chamber in which a food product to be processed can be received, an

A working member (112, 212, 312, 412) arranged in the chamber and drivable to process the food product,

wherein the chamber defined by the wall has at least in part the form of a substantially spherical section.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the spherical segment form surrounds the working member.

3. Appliance according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the spherical section comprises a section of a sphere which is larger than a hemisphere, wherein the spherical section preferably comprises more than 70% of the total area of the sphere, wherein the spherical section is particularly preferably a sphere.

4. Appliance according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the container has a first section (116) and a second section (118) which are detachably connected to each other and together define the spherical section, wherein the first section surrounds the working part and the second section is arranged on the first section.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the first and second sections together define a sphere as the spherical section, wherein the second section has an opening through which air and/or fluid can be introduced into the chamber.

6. The appliance of claim 4, further comprising a third section (120) detachably arranged on the second section (118), wherein the second section is ring-shaped, wherein the first section (116) substantially defines a hemisphere, and wherein the second section and the third section together substantially define a hemisphere, wherein the third section preferably has an opening through which air and/or fluid can be introduced into the chamber.

7. The appliance of any of claims 4 to 6, wherein the second section (418) is arrangeable within the first section (416).

8. The appliance of any of claims 4 to 7, wherein the first and second sections are tool-lessly lockable to each other, preferably by a bayonet connection, a screw thread or a toggle lever.

9. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a spout (324) for pouring out processed food.

10. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a base (114, 214, 314, 414) on which the container (110, 210, 313) is arranged, wherein the container is preferably detachable from the base.

11. The appliance of claim 10, wherein the base further comprises a drive means for driving the working member.

12. An appliance according to any preceding claim, wherein the container has a handle.

13. The appliance of claim 12, wherein the handle is fixedly provided on the container.

14. The appliance of claim 12, wherein the handle is detachable from the container.

15. The appliance of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a rib disposed on the wall of the container in a manner such that the rib extends into the container interior.

16. The appliance of claim 15, when dependent on claim 9, wherein the mouth (324) extends from a rib.

17. The appliance of claim 15 or 16, further comprising one or more internal projections extending between the ribs into the container interior, wherein the internal projections are preferably provided between all of the ribs.

18. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the internal protrusion has an inclination of less than or equal to 30 ° relative to the wall of the container.

19. An appliance according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the internal protrusion fills at least 30%, preferably at least 45%, of the area between the ribs.

20. The appliance of any of claims 17 to 19, wherein the length of the internal projection along the circumferential direction of the container is at least 60% of the distance between the ribs along the circumferential direction.

21. The device of any one of claims 17 to 20, wherein at the widest point of the inner protrusion, the ratio of the width b to the length L of the inner protrusion is greater than or equal to 0.8, and at the widest point of the rib, the ratio of the width to the length of the rib is less than or equal to 0.4.

22. The appliance of any of claims 17 to 21, wherein at the deepest point of the inner protrusion, the ratio of depth t to width b is less than or equal to 0.1, and at the deepest point of the rib, the ratio of depth t to width b is greater than or equal to 0.5.

23. The appliance of any preceding claim, wherein the side wall (413) of the container is flat.